Study Abroad

I took a directed study course to fulfill my study abroad requirement. We were tasked with creating a podcast with students from the Netherlands. I was excited to meet the other members of our group; they were very smart and it seemed like their school was a lot different from ours. A big challenge was finding times that worked for everyone to meet. We all had busy schedules and with the time difference, we really could only meet very early or very late. We managed to make it work, obviously, but it was difficult to collaborate on the work as much as we would have liked. I learned more about the culture of my teammates, which I didn’t know a lot about going into the project. I really like how cities are more walkable in the Netherlands and how there are so many support systems for people that need it. These help to make the Netherlands one of the happiest countries, along with other northern European nations.

The focus of our podcast was finding a solution to mitigate climate change. I’m hugely concerned and interested in this topic so was excited to discuss this and see what our Dutch group members thought. Our idea was to create a larger regulatory agency to set stricter measures on emissions. I think the most interesting part of this project, though, was talking with the students from the Netherlands. We each did a 15-question interview with one of the students and it was really fun to see how different they live and what they think of the us here in the U.S.

Here are the questions I asked and the responses I recieved:

  1. What kinds of foods do you think are very unique or special to Dutch culture?

There is some kind of cookies. It is called Stroopwafel. It is 2 waffles with liquid caramel between it. Besides that we also have a AVG’tje. In Dutch: Aardappels, groente en vlees. In English it is: Potatoes, vegetables and meat. It is the most common dinner meal in the Netherlands.

2. Is the area where you live more rural or urban?

Rural, I do live in a small town but the area around it all depends on this small town. You can look it up, the area is: De Noordoostpolder. And the town is: Emmeloord

3. Which do you prefer and where do you think more people live in rural or urban areas in the Netherlands?

The Netherlands is so small and their live so many people that you do not have real rural areas. Everything is so close to each other. But on the other side we also don’t have really big cities.

4. What is your favorite sport?

I don’t attend a sport weekly but I do run often. Besides that, I like to watch Formula 1.

5. Is that sport a common favorite in your country?

Formula 1 has become a more known sport because a Dutch guy won the championship last year. Running is a common favorite as well as soccer, hockey and volleyball.

6. What is your favorite type of music?

That is hard for me to say. I listen to Dutch music as well as English music. I don’t have a specific type of music. Some artists I can tell are: Alec Benjamin, Clara mae, Snelle, Suzan & Freek

7. What is your favorite thing to do for fun?

Mostly spending time with friends and family. Going to a restaurant or a bike ride in the area.

8. What other countries have you visited, if you have? What did you find the biggest difference between your cultures was?

Luxembourg, Belgium, Germany, England, France, Spain, Italy, Switzerland, Czech Republic, Austria, Canary Islands, Denmark, Sweden, Turkey, Ethiopia, Tanzania, Zanzibar, USA, Canada. 

It really depends on the country. The countries in Europe are in a lot of ways quite the same as the Netherlands. But for example, Tanzania (I went there two months ago) it is really different. The biggest culture difference was the way of threating each other.

9. Do you think the Dutch are a more individualistic or community-oriented society?

More individualistic. Especially when looking at other countries like Tanzania, it is really different. The people there live for each other while Dutch people are more focusing on making money and having the biggest house.

10. I’ve heard people say that the Dutch are often very direct and outspoken, do you think that’s true?

Yes it is. However, we also always think that our opinion is the best/ the truth haha. That’s why we always say what we think because we want to get the best out of it. But of course, there are also situations where we can be silent and just be introvert and listen to others. This is especially when we are with experts on certain fields and our opinion is not important anymore.

11. How is the weather, in general? Do you have a favorite time of year?

It really depends. Looking at last week: on Sunday we had a sunny day and 20 degrees. On Friday it was minus 5 degrees and there was snow. We really do see climate change here. My favorite time of the year is the summer.

12. What is a unique Dutch holiday?

Kingsday. It is on the 27th of April.

13. Are there any things that you think the Dutch do better at than other countries?

The export and import of different resources from farmers. Besides that, we have a lot of new technology. Furthermore, we are also really good at making music especially artists like Armin van Buuren and Martin Garrix. But we are also a cycle country. We often grab the bike instead of the car. We are probably better in cycling than other countries.

14. Are there any things that you think the Dutch do worse at than other countries?

As mentioned before, we are really individualistic focused. I think we are worse in taking time for activities with loved people around us. For example, having dinner is something we do because we need food not because it is a nice family moment to talk with each other. We are always in a hurry.

15. What’s your favorite movie?

I don’t have a specific favorite movie, I don’t like Dutch movies they are really bad.