An observation of the Dutch in Delft.

A compilation of observations that I have acquired in the past 2 years with my time alongside my dutch friends, most things are dutch friendly, but a few are city specific.

1. The dutch are a tall society, there’s no denying that. It’s said that those from Groningen are the world’s giants. There! I said it.
2. There is a very strong student society & fraternity culture
3. Typical frat hair is longer on the sides, slicked through with gel and topped off with a backward cap.
4. Christmas dinners or Kerstdiners happen in February, April, or even July… not december
5. Sinterklaas presents are the most important of the year, and from an outsiders perspective seem to be more heavily thought out and detailed, more so than anything that could be bought for a beloved
6. Bikes are ridden everywhere, no joke
7. The dutch are always weather ready
8. If there’s cheese at the table and someone will pulls out what looks like a tiny cake cutter, don’t be alarmed, it’s a cheese slicer, or kaas schaaf
9. A student house can have anywhere between 3 and (at extremes) 21 people
10. They just love to dress up on special occasions (see point 4)
11. ‘Going Dutch’ I’ve never seen a society so engaged in splitting costs, see Wiebetaalwat.nl & eetlijst.com if you don’t believe me.
12. Sinter Klaas, who although sounds like santa claus, isnt, comes once per year and gives presents to kids. I mean, you’ve fooled me, I really did think he was Santa Claus.
13. TH of D? Ask a Dutchman to say “ Three thin thieves thought a thousand thoughts. Now if three thin thieves thought a thousand thoughts how many thoughts did each thief think?” and guaranteed they will pronounce the vast majority of “th” ‘s  as a “d”
14. There is a strange man called black pete or zwaart piet who is Sinta Klaus’ companion (see point 12), and helps transport bad children to Spain. I’m not sure why such a rainy country sees this as a bad thing. Perhaps kids think they will get fat from too much tapas, beats me.
15. Crème trousers are a thing, ain’t no one gonna tell me different. This will often be seen sported with a brown leather belt.
16. Bright pants are a thing (maroon seems to be quite in this year, 2013-2014)
17. The amazing christmas treats, Papernoten are available from August
18. Sandwiches.
19. Dutchmen love to party!!! By partying, I mean fist pumping in the air
20. The national delicacies include speculaas, Applestroop, stroopwaffels, poffertjes, filet americain and schuddebuikjes, all of which I approve of.
21. Hagelslag. It’s like 100s and 1000s for 20+ year olds, the fancy version.
22. Dutch have a close relationship with their families
23. Everyone drinks coffee, 4 times a day, 8 days a week.
24. I just need to emphasise, sandwiches are a dutchman’s best friend
25. Leo’s is the place to be on a week day during lunch (see point 25)
26. ‘It’s fine, honestly! …as long as it doesn’t effect me’
27. Men don’t dance in clubs. Punt (exception of point 19)
28. I have never seen so many want-to-be DJs
29. Duchmans love their gel
30. Dutchmen have intense umbrella ready for the rain
31. The rainpants, oh the rainpants
32. The more serious a business meeting, the more gel (see point 30)
33. Ingetogen they can be very restrained in their emotions ingetogen
34. 5 minutes too late deserves an SMS asking where you are (I must admit, I have come a long way in my organisational skills thanks to this)
35. Efficiency is the key
36. Do you have a planning for this? Every project seems to have to have a drawn out planning, this is very different from Australian tertiary education where we just bumble along with assignments
37. It is amazing what you see on the back of bikes. Can you ride no hands? Can you also be holding another bike? Can you also be carrying a couch on the back of your bike? You must be dutch
38. Dutch are pained by the way international students ride on the bike paths
39. Rowing & Hockey are the national sports
40. Koningsdag, or kings day is a national holiday where everyone dresses in orange, finds a boat and sails down the canals.
41. I’ve never seen so much orange in my life (see point 42)
42. Can I have mayonaise with that?
43. Hot chips are served in something that suggests to me that it should have ice cream in it judging by its shape, however I must admit, the cone sure is handy.
44. The meats department at the supermarket sports a whole lot of blended sausage liver meats, perfect for a dutchmen’s favourite meal (see point 18).
45. Kokos brood, an amazing coconut cheese delight that only the dutch could have thought of
46. It will take time, but once a dutchie (I have effectionately decided to call them this) lets you into their home, you’re good friends “friends fo life yo”
47.  
48.  
49. It takes time, but at some point you will realise how much you will miss this country.

I am leaving the last two blank. Perhaps there are things that I am still to learn.

The frustrations of language learning

It has been a year and a half since having moved to the Netherlands. I live in a small town on the west of this fair country; a quaint and for what seems 11 months of the year, quite a cold climate city that goes by the name of Delft. For the past year, I have had bouts of immersing myself in and out of the dutch culture.

On arriving, I joined a house with fifteen dutch girls from my university and lived there for six months. My plan was to stay in the country for six months on a cross cultural exchange from my home university in Sydney, Australia. However as I slowly got to know the people and culture, I felt my time passing quickly, and extended my exchange period to a full year.

I had joined my university's student rowing society and dedicated much of my free time to rowing training and competitions. Rowing is a large student sport within the netherlands and I learnt much of the dutch culture by participating in one of their national sports, and made most of my good friends here.

At the end of this year, I am not sure if it was the co-curricular activities, the new found love of my studies, or the thought of having to again uproot my life, but I attempted to transfer my course from Sydney to Delft. After numerous months of waiting and stressfully biting my nails, an acceptance letter came through, and I was admitted as a full time masters student at the University Technology, Delft.

By that time, I felt as though I knew much more of the culture. I'd found love at the rowing club, I'd moved in with new housemates that I could called my family, and I had even acquired a bike collection.

However, learning a language is one of the most difficult aspects of the Dutch culture that I am still yet to accomplish, and I feel that until I can communicate in dutch with my housemates, I will never completely understand the dutch culture or its people.

For the most part, we get on quite well, we eat dinner together each night, we share breakfast together, and we go on house outings. Most of this is done in dutch, and I am quite happy to sit and listen to my housemates, however after a year of listening, I feel that I am getting fed up with living in a country and only just-getting-by with the language.

For the next few months, I am going to try and improve my dutch, and I guess here (there is no place better than the prying eyes of the internet and those that don't know me) to vent about how the results go.

It is November, and therefore clearly the Christmas season... which means our house has had its first Kerstdiner.

Seasons greetings

A truly Dutch Experience

Tomorrow is Valentines, hence the photo. I snapped these two via what my friend Suze calls the "hip" shot... It's simple, Point, and shoot... But from the hip. No idea what will come out, but i was lucky with this one.

I've now been in the Netherlands for 6 months, and i have been inspired in so many ways. I am currently taking a master program in SPD. It consists of learning how to design, as well as how designers get to that final product and the many stages which are incorporated into the process before the metal is taken into the warehouse for cutting.

When moving to a new country it is a whole new process. Everything starts all over again, a complete learning process. You find out a lot about yourself, and i can definitely see that myself. Especially working in groups. You find out how you would act in a work environment, and it has definitely helped me grow as someone who voices their opinions etc.

The language, once something filled with plenty of "ggggrrrrrrs" and throat sounds that i found next to impossible are (perhaps unfortunately) becoming less of an effort to pronounce. I enjoy practising what little dutch i know.

Something that i have picked up on here though, is the high intake of small chocolate sprinkles. In australia, we have Fairy bread, which for those of you that don't know, is buttered (generally white) bread. This is then dipped in 100's and 1000's which are coloured pieces of sugar. Yet no person would pull out a 100 and 1000 sandwich at a work place, or university for that matter. In fact, i think this meal, or perhaps afternoon tea snack for a better phrase, is only given to 5 year olds and younger. I think i was a let bloomer, and sneakily ate this at the age of 8, but by 10, if you're still eating this, you wouldn't tell your friends about it.

Yet here in there netherlands, many of my friends casually pull out their lunch box during the break, and break open a chocolate sprinkle sandwich. At first i was overwhelmed at the number of people that found it more than usual, but now i just chuckle.

On coming to the netherlands, i didn't think the culture would be as different from Australia as i have found it, but it is refreshing all the same.

I hope to keep seeing small cultural differences like this...

Over and Out.

The TU

Well, I have arrived in Delft, and am currently taking courses in Strategic Product Design at the University of Technology, Delft. Travelling the world, seeing what is our there in other parts of the planet, ideas from designers from anywhere from Taiwan to Columbia. I've met so many people, and am slowly expanding what I know as well. I've been able to discover that the possibilities within Industrial Design really are endless.