You know you’re Dutch when… - Reisverslag uit Praag, Tsjechische Republiek van Anne Leijsen - WaarBenJij.nu You know you’re Dutch when… - Reisverslag uit Praag, Tsjechische Republiek van Anne Leijsen - WaarBenJij.nu

You know you’re Dutch when…

Blijf op de hoogte en volg Anne

27 Oktober 2012 | Tsjechische Republiek, Praag

Ok, this is not mine, I actually got it from Jacobien, already a few years ago, and I don't know where she got it. But I had to think about it just now, read it again, and it's quite amazing how many things are exactly right. For those not from the Netherlands: welcome in our crazy thoughts! For those from the Netherlands: well, welcome in your crazy thoughts!

You know you're Dutch when:

1. You consider a small hill a mountain, and complain because of this all other countries are unsuitable for riding a bike.

2. You are absolutely convinced that your language is the hardest language to learn. Ever.

3. Not that number 2 matters, because you speak at least three languages anyway. Dutch and English, and any or multiple of French, German, Spanish, Italian, Chinese, Latin and Greek, and have a thorough understanding of most others, even if you don’t speak them that well.

4. Whenever you take your foreign friends to Holland, they will be shocked with the amount of bikes on any of the central stations. You don’t so much as blink.

5. You are taken off guard by cashiers who pack your groceries for you and are actually interested in how you are doing.

6. On the other hand, whenever you want to respond to someone saying “How’s it going?” by the time you tell them they’ll be a mile away.

7. You consider religious political parties the most normal thing in the world.

8. You have to explain over and over again how the soft-drug legislation works.

9. You don’t think it’s funny that prostitutes have to pay taxes.

10. You know that there’s more to Holland than getting stoned in Amsterdam.

11. You cringe any time someone tries to pronounce, spell or write down your name.

12. You think words like “achtentachtig”, “scheurbuik” and “angstschreeuw” are perfectly pronounceable.

13. You have gotten used to people thinking Holland is a province of Germany.

14. You are the only one who doesn’t think Holland is going to be submerged.

15. You don’t consider the inability to elect mayors, senators, governors, ministers or prime minister undemocratic.

16. You either don’t care or take pride in the fact that your royal family is the wealthiest in the world.

17. You usually don’t bother with changing adjectives into adverbs.

18. You are sometimes considered rude, while all you did was be honest.

19. You are shocked by the low standard of secondary education in any other country but Holland.

20. You like to complain about the weather, high taxes, the weather, inflation, the weather, your neighbors, the weather, religious intolerance, and the weather.

21. You consistently use colons to indicate a direct quote.

22. Belgian chocolate isn’t good. It’s from Belgium.

23. You aren’t phased by an openly gay couple.

24. You pronounce ‘essay’ as ‘es-SAY’.

25. You are naturally able to skate, even if you’ve never done it in your life.

26. You own a kaasschaaf, and you believe every household should have one.

27. You eat kroketten, bitterballen, bamischijven, nasiblokken, kipknotsen,and most of all: chips with mayonnaise!

28. You love koek en zopie but you don’t have a clue what it is.

29. When something in the supermarket is on offer, you buy it, even if you don’t need it, or like it, or want it.

30. You collect points from Douwe Egberts packs, and you have a massive collection of points that you gathered from friends and family, that span a gathering of at least fifty years. You never redeem them, though.

31. You drink enormous amounts of milk and love the taste of cheese.

32. You still can’t say the word “coffeeshop” in a normal conversation about coffee.

33. You love salted liquorice and make all your friends try it, making them puke every time.

34. You calculate distances by how long it takes to cycle there.

35. You don’t perceive people applying blackface and wearing colourful costumes to be non-PC, let alone racist.

36. You’re amazed that you can get ketchup for free at McDonalds.

37. You do know that Sinterklaas was there first.

38. You make distinctions between jonge, jong belegen, belegen, oud belegen, oude, twee jaar oude en vier jaar oude kaas, which is either plain, contains nettle, cumin, or herbs (or a combination) and is made of goat, sheep or cow milk. You then proceed to laugh at people who don’t know the difference between mild and mature cheddar.

39. Pepernoten are just part of your breakfast around 5 December.

40. You never spell the days of the week or months with a capital letter.

41. Being politically correct is something they do in other countries…

42. Your bike is one of the most valued things you own, even if rusted and held together with insulation tape.

43. You’ve been to the cinema, and people have applauded at the end of the movie. Also, you consider it the most normal thing in the world to have a break halfway during a film.

44. Seeing a backpack hanging off the end of a flagpole doesn’t confuse you, but instead brings back happy memories.

45. Orange is, of course, part of the Dutch flag, and you wonder why no other country has a wimpel.

46. You know that Albert Heijn isn’t the name of a local shopkeeper, but rather a chain of supermarkets.

47. You know that the ‘wonderful world of Disney’ isn’t anything compared to de Efteling.

48. You shake the hand of a person when you first meet, regardless of gender differences.

49. You had to adjust to the idea that WWI is the Great War, not WWII. Because according to our collective memory WWI just didn’t happen.

50. You are surprised that foreigners only greet by giving one or two kisses. Three time’s the charm!

51. All English words are ‘dutch-a-tised’: douglas is referred to as Doegglas and Mcdonalds as Macdowh-nAlds and fuck is pronounced as fhuuk.

52. ‘lekker’ can be used in every situation, using it positively or sarcastically

53. You can’t watch tv after 11pm without escaping the sexline adverts.

54. The cabinet collapses every time you blink.

55. You know what ‘gezellig’ means, but don’t have a clue how to explain it to foreigners.

56. You think it’s normal to live a few metres below sea level.

57. You are actually surprised when a train arrives on schedule.

58. Your country’s the only country with a Harry Potter look-a-like as PM.

59. Orange is your favourite colour. Above all others. Or, well, it may not be your favourite colour, but it is whenever the European or World Championships Football are on…

60. You expect to have the government provide everything for you.

61.You think that sex is just one more “leuke dingen om te doen”, falling somewhere on the pleasure scale between playing board games and discussing rumours.

62. your favorite timepassing is looking in other people houses but you make sure yourself you have not only curtains but also vitrage so no one can look into your house.

63. You think Holland is going to hell, but you also think that foreigners should not discuss this.

64. You yourself speed when you think you can get away with it, but you resent it when you see Germans and Belgians on the highway doing the same thing. They should follow Dutch laws when in the Netherlands.

65. You expect presents at Sinterklaas, December 5th instead of with Christmas

66. You paid at least 1500 Euro for your driving license.

67. You are stuck in traffic for at least an hour to get to work.

68. You love to watch speed ice-skating on tv

69. You can count three people in your circle of friends who are at least 2 metres tall - and one of them is a woman.

70. You refer to the whole country as “Holland” because that’s the only part of it that matters.

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Je kunt nu ook Smileys gebruiken. Via de toolbar, toetsenbord of door eerst : te typen en dan een woord bijvoorbeeld :smiley

Anne

Ahoj! (As they greet in Czech! My first Czech words, haha) My name is Anne, and I'll spend the up coming year at the Czech Technical University in Prague. Kind of an adventure, as Dutch student, but it's gonna be fun, for sure! I'll try to keep this blog up to date. But, I warn in advance: I'm used to have a busy schedule, so maybe updates will not be made for quite long times. If it takes to long: please, send me a message, and I will post something new! I hope I will enjoy you with my stories, pictures, recipes and crazy thoughts =D Looking forward to a wonderful year, Anne

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