One of the coolest things about traveling is seeing and experiencing things that are different from home. It’s especially interesting when you find things that surprise you, or that you didn’t expect. So here’s a short list of some of the surprising or interesting things I have found in the Netherlands.
Tall people
The Dutch are extremely tall people. Even after being here for almost 5 weeks now I still get surprised when I see people who are 7 feet tall walk past me.
Spanish music
There are times where I have to stop and remember that I’m not in a Spanish speaking country because of the amount of reggaetón and latin music that is played here. It’s so much fun for me to hear all the music that I discovered while living in South America being played here in Europe and being able to sing along.
Ben and Jerry’s
Ben and Jerry’s is by far the most popular ice cream in the Netherlands. I’m not sure why, but I’m definitely not complaining!
English
I am still so impressed at everyone’s English language skills here. I knew coming here that “everyone speaks English”, and it really isn’t an understatement. Although I am so thankful for everyone’s (at least) bilingualism (many people speak 3 or 4 languages actually), I wish it was a little easier to learn more Dutch while I’m here.
Wifi everywhere
This is one of my favorite parts of the Netherlands, and Nijmegen specifically as I’ve come to realize. There is free wifi basically anywhere you are, on the buses, trains, in restaurants, stores, and even just on the street in some parts of the city. I was originally going to get a data plan for my phone when I got here, but with the wide availability of wifi everywhere I didn’t need to.
How expensive water is
This is one thing that I just can never get over, especially because there’s just something about having to pay for water that I don’t like. A 200ml (6.75oz) bottle of water at a café or restaurant costs around €2.30-€2.50. Some places will give you a glass of room temperature tap water if you specify, but I’ve also been denied tap water plenty of times too.
Bikes
The Dutch and their bikes. Bikes are absolutely the most popular mode of transportation here. Everyone owns a bike and rides it everywhere. There are bike lanes on every street, and I’m way more cautious crossing a bike lane than an actual street. Cars stop for pedestrians, but pedestrians stop for bikes.
Eye contact
I still haven’t figured this one out quite yet but the Dutch make and hold eye contact for a long time.
Mayonnaise
Mayonnaise is a favorite of the Dutch. Ketchup exists, but is by no means as popular in comparison to mayo. Fries without mayo is like peanut butter without jelly.
Lekker
Lekker! A very commonly used Dutch word. It technically means “delicious/good” but is used in basically any and every context imaginable.
Kapsalon Döner
One of the best Dutch inventions I have come across, a fantastic twist to the Turkish döner kebab. You take a bed of fresh fries, dump some döner kebab meat on top of it, add your otger ingradiends as you desire: garlic sauce, hot sauce, lettuce, tomatoes, feta cheese, onions, jalapeños, and/or cucumbers, top it off with a mound of shredded mozzarella and bake it for a few minutes to melt the cheese. Best food ever.
The Netherlands is a beautiful, interesting, wonderful country, and I’m so lucky to have the chance to live here for a short time not only to do research but also get to know all the interesting things that make this place what it is!
Nederland is de lekkerste!